Shipping-container for phonograph-records.



- lVlZL FULLER. v SHIPPING CONTAINER FOR PHONOGRAPH RECORDS.

APPLICATION man 1uLY3, 1913. RENEWED 515111.19, 1914.

N. NWJ 1\i Patented Apr. 27, 1915.

WZ Fal/e2@ y MEL FULLER, 0F lBmMINGHAM, MABMA;

c A,smrrrrre-corrraiaren. ron rnonodnarn-nnconnsy Specication ont4 Letters Eatent. l

patented api. et, 4rara.,

Application tiled July 3, 1913, Serial No. 777,237. Renewed September 19, 19M. Serial No. 862,436.

To all wwm 'it may concern.'

Be it known that ll, MZL FULLER, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Birmingham,in the county of Jederson and #so as to be adaptablefor the shipment of records in any desirable quantity.

One object of my invention 1s to so design the parts that they may be assembled for shipment of a single record or the capacity of the container may be increased to take care of a considerable number of records at only a nominal increase in cost.

A iturther object lis to design the end closures of the container so that they are similar and interchangeable, thereby standardizing the parts and making the cost of the container less and its yuse more simple..i

sil further object of the invention is to take advantage of the central opening in the records as a'means for inserting through 4the records themselves vand through the end closures of the container, a fastening means which may beef d/ifderent character.

according to the duty required of it.

A further object is to design the interchangeable end closures of the container so that, when assembled in reverse ositions they will receive and hold a sing e record between them and when their positions.' are reversed they will receive between them a tubular body of varyinglengthsand rwill interlock with the same.

-m of Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is aplan-vievaotlig.

" l.. Fig. 3 is a horizontalcrossfsectio -lview through the container as shown 1g.j1, the mar mal paclngbeingpartrallyindicated.l ig. 4 isa cross-sectional view'showing. the end closuresoffthe container reversed to receive between them a-single record. Fig. 5 is a detail cross-sectional -view showing a modified manner of attachmthe fastening means to the end closure.

lmllar reference numeralsrefer to similar parts throughout the drawings. The flat record disks in general use are large and heavy and are liable to be easily broken 1n shipment. yIn order to facilitate their safe and economical transmissionby mall or freight, it is necessary to provide a carrler having the requisite strength tol protect the disks and yet which is readily adf justable at small expense to accommodate one or any' reasonable number thereof.

According to .my invention, l propose when ship ing the records in quantity to use a cylin rical body l which may be made of metal or of any strong composition materal such as cardboard or papier mch, and which will be light andyet suciently strong and rigid to protect its contents. This cylindrical body 1 can be furnished in varying lengths according to the number of recordsto e shipped in it, or it may be furnishedin stock len hs and sawed or cut to'the length desired or each shipment. l

' provide duplicate end closures for the cylin drical body 1, which closures as shown are,

ing ribs 5 which are raised on the same side of, the plate as its shoulder 3 but to a slightly less 4'height so that the ribs also stand below the level of the flange.

lin order that the carriermay accommodate the did'erent diameters of recordl disks and avoid expensive or troublesome packing to prevent shifting of the same and also in order to protect the peripheral edges of'all record disks from belng injured, l provide Aav-central fastening4 means which at its ends is lconnected centrall tothe end closures and which is passe through the central openings in the'record disks.. `In-the construction shown in Fig. 1, this fastening i means comprisesa wire 6 which is doubled preferably and its ends passed first through two openings in a plate or button '1, after which .the two ends ofthe wire are passed downwardly threat e central. evening' 8 in the top closure. After the several record disks 9 that are to be shipped have been strung on the double wire strand by havmg the latter passed through their center openings, the lower ends of the wire are passed the-ends of the body 1 until the flanges 4' seat flush a ainst the ends of such body. The incline or beveled character of .the shoulders B-'eauses them to fit tightly into the ends of the body and their shape enables them to effectively strengthen or brace the body againstradlal crushing strains. Before the record` disks 9 are strung on the fastening wire, which serves to center-them in the body 1, packing is interposed 1f desired between adjacent disks. Also, after the disks are in lace, before the top closure is forced on, a uted packing strip 10 1s 1nserted between the body 1 and the edges of the disks. Any other suitable lpacking may, be used in place of that shown. After the packing has been inserted between and around the disks and the latter strung on the wire 6 as a centering means, the end l closures are forced home-and the free ends of the wire are twisted together to tightly interlock the several parts. Obviously the length of the cylindrical body 1 will be made to correspond substantially to the n'umber of record disks to be shipped, and the end closures and fastening means are suited for use with any length of body.

The construction described is suited for shipment of more than one or two records. Where, however,l only one or two records are to be shipped, it is obvious that this must be. 'done at the least possible expense. To this end I dispense with the use of the cylindrical body 1 and simplify the fastening and centering means. By reference to Fig, 4, it will be seen that if the end closures 2 are reversed from the position shown in Fig. 1 and assembled with their flanges 4 .in engagement, a circular compartment is 'the container is also adapted to serve as a disk centering means and is preferably formed by'a strongl split metal fastener 12, which is lpassedldown through the openings l8 min the end closures 2 and through the central opening in the inclosed record disk, after which the ends of the fastener arc spread apart.

It will be noted that the head and split ends of the fastener are adapted to be rcceived inI and rotected by the ribs 5 and that in the posltion in which the plates are here used, the centers having the openings 8 are brought close together so as to shorten the length required 4for the fastener and cause them to hug the disk packing.

The fastening and centering means may be the same in the large and small carrier if desired for a heavy ysplit metal fastener might be employed, or any equivalent means which will both fasten the ends together and hold the disks in central position may be utilized. Where the end closures are made of sufficient heavy metal plate the plates 7 may be dispensed with and instead of providing a single opening 8 in the center of plates 2, the latter may be provided with separate openings 13 through which the 'ends of the wire strand are passed and twisted.

Various other changes and modifications may be made in the construction and arrangement of the centering and fastening means.

Having thus described my invention, what 'I claim as new and desire to secure by Let-y ters Patent, is

1. A shipping carrier for phonographic record disks comprising a base, a top, a separate tubular body adapted to be in serted between said top and base, and, means to interlock base, top and body with a series of superimposed centrally apertured record disks within the carrier.

2. A shipping carrier for phonographic record disks comprising a base, a top, a detachable and interchangeable tubular body vadapted to be interposed and held between the top and base, a member adapted -.to be inserted through the central openings of a number of superimposed record disks to center them in said body, and means to fasten the top and base to said member to interlock them with said body.

3. In a shipping carrier for phonographic record disks, a tubular body adapted to be varied in length to receive a variable number of superimposed record disks, end plates to close the ends of said tubular body, a central member upon which the record disks to be shipped are strung, means to interlock said member with said end plates, 4and means to hold the body portion in position between the end plates.

4. In a shipping carrier for phonographic record disks, a, tubular body, duplicate flanged end closureplates which interlock with the ends of said body, and a-central fastening means which holds the ends interl superimposed record disks which have central openings and are disposed within. said body and spaced from contact with its inner wall, packing between said disks and body,

and flexible means passed through the central l openings of said disks and through said end plates to fasten all said parts together.

6. In a shipping carrier for phonographlc lrecord disks, a tubular body of greater diameter or width than the disks, detachable flanged end closure plates which are struck up taperingly to fit snugly into and to interlock -with the ends of said body, and a central fastening means which engages and holds both ends fast in the ends of the body and upon which the inclosed disks are adapted to be strung, said fastening means being made fast to said end lates and held centrally of the body therelby.

7. A shipping carrier for phonographic record disks comprising a tubular body container, similar, reinforced, dished end closures therefor, means on which the disks to be-inclosed in said container are strung and which comprises a wire which is doubled and passed through the disks and closures, and means which the ends and bight of said doubled wire engageV to hold said parts interlocked.

8. A shipping carrier for phonographic record disks comprising a pair of duplicate dished plates having peripheral flanges adapted to engage thev opposite ends and inner wall of a tubular container for disks, said plates when reversely disposed and assembled with their peripheral flanges in position to engage each other being adapted to -form between them a disk receiVin pocket, and central alining openings in said plates when assembled which receive fastening means adapted to pass through the center opening of a disk lnclosed in said pocket, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

. MZL FULLER.

Witnesses:

NOMI@ WELSH,- R. D. JOHNSTON, Jr. 

